


Craig and those guys

by sonofthanatos



Category: South Park
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 01:38:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonofthanatos/pseuds/sonofthanatos
Summary: On his birthday, Craig thinks about his friends.





	Craig and those guys

Most people believed that Craig was an emotionless robot.

He didn’t do anything to correct them. He liked that people saw him as flat, placid, unemotional, and boring. It saved him from a lot of the nonsense those four losers kept getting involved in and helped him avoid any serious fights or issues. The more people that thought he wouldn’t get involved the better his odds are of avoiding trouble.

The truth was more complicated. He had plenty of emotions, but his family naturally avoided issues and discussions when possible, and when there was no option but discussion, serious issues were logically debated and decisions made on rational thinking. As a result Craig had iron self-control and the ability to suppress any emotions or desires in favor of maintaining the status quo.

He had never been much for introspection, but tonight was special. His idiotic friends were planning to take him out for his 17th birthday, and somehow the planning had ended up in a fight over who his true best friend was. He had avoided the question completely, but he knew the subject would be revisited that night. Normally he would just pick one of them, but he had made the mistake of glancing at one of the pictures of the gang he kept in his room. Now he lay on his bed, scrolling through the photos, thinking about his friends. It was honestly bugging him, for some reason: who was his best friend?

It shouldn’t be that hard to decide.

 

Token was the most like him. True, the boy had more money and was more open, but he shared Craig’s dislike of adventure and his none-of-this-nonsense attitude. Token was the friend he sought out when he needed to have a serious discussion with somebody besides his family, and he could always count on him to talk through things rationally and offer discretion, reasonable advice, and support.

The last time he had gone to Token was when he and Tweek had started officially dating and going further. Craig’s self-control hid the fact that the noirette was on the verge of complete panic, and he had shown up on Token’s door barely holding himself together. Token had understood instantly, and had simply sat Craig down and handed him a book; the two read together until Craig was able to form proper sentences and calm enough to get into it.

He had come out to Token, revealed his feelings, and informed him that Tweek and he were dating.

Token nodded. After a moment, he asked, “Are you happy?”

Craig nodded wordlessly.

“Then that’s all that matters. Whatever happens, you’ll always be my friend and I’ll support you no matter what.”

Token had become one of the few people to get an unsolicited hug from Craig.

Since then, Token had adopted Tweek into his friend circle and always looked out for him. He learned how to read Tweek, how to tell when he was OK, when he was happy, and when he needed somebody to hold him, and he always made sure to have coffee on hand for him.

By any standard, Token was a great friend. Was he Craig’s best friend though?

 

If Token was most like Craig, Clyde was his total opposite. Emotional, loud, loving the spotlight, completely shameless, Clyde was what happened when bad decisions met dumb mistakes. He wasn’t stupid, but he was completely impulse-driven and always looking for the next great story to share. He loved making people laugh, and his life’s mission was to make Craig lose control and break down laughing. He had never succeeded, and Craig had never revealed just how close he had come a few times.

One time in particular still made Craig bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Clyde had shown up at his house at 3 AM, drunk, demanding Craig hang out immediately. Luckily Craig’s parents were away, so Craig could just haul his friend into the house. What had almost killed Craig and made him the closest he’d ever come to losing his control was when Clyde had stripped naked to sleep then decided he had to go get Tweek to “reunite them” for some reason, ran past him, somehow got out of his bedroom window into the tree outside Craig’s room, then passed out on the branch completely naked. Craig had had no option but to call the fire department (after taking lots of pictures) and watched emergency services try to get this naked, drunken teenager out of the tree without hurting him. It had turned into quite the spectacle. Craig was grinning just thinking about it, but luckily nobody was around to see.

Clyde may be silly, reckless, filled with bad decisions and the basis for every safety rule they came up with while drinking, but he was also the most loyal friend you could imagine. If he found out Craig was upset about something, Clyde would be there immediately with food. Like Token, he had adopted Tweek as a friend, but unlike Token he kept trying to draw Tweek out of his shell and get him to do weird and silly things. Craig would kill him for it if it weren’t for the fact that it somehow worked; Tweek was actually OK with Clyde and even joined him on randomness sometimes. Craig knew that if he was ever in real trouble, Clyde would be at his side; if he ended up in a fight with 30 thugs, Clyde would crash through a window just to go down swinging with him. When a guy driving by had stopped his car to insult Token and been really racist , Clyde hadn’t even hesitated before storming over, grabbing the guy and physically hauling him out of the car through his open window and thrown him into a nearby dumpster.

Looking after Clyde was one of Craig’s favorite complaints, but even though he’d never admit it he loved the guy to pieces and really enjoyed the time they spent together. Clyde was also his oldest friend; he had decided they were best friends after meeting Craig when they were 6 and Craig had never bothered to shake him loose. Did that make him Craig’s best friend?

 

 

Jimmy was another story. Like Clyde, he was funny, but his humor was more the joke-telling kind. He never let his handicap get him down and was eternally optimistic. Everything that happened Jimmy was always able to find the bright side.

When Craig felt depressed, Jimmy was always able to cheer him up. If he was upset about something with Tweek or if he just had a bad day, he knew talking to Jimmy would make him feel better. Craig was so impressed with him for not letting anything bring him down and just doing what he wanted, regardless of his physical limitations. He had tried asking Jimmy about that once. They had been going for a walk and Jimmy had to stop and adjust his crutches a few times. Craig had offered to help him but Jimmy had simply waved him off and kept going.

“How do you do it?”

“Do wh…whhh….whh…How do I dooooo what?”

“How do you never let anything get you down?”

Jimmy shrugged. “What’s the alternative?”

Craig thought that was a fine answer. Why should Jimmy live his life regretting things he couldn’t change? Why shouldn’t he just be happy with life and deal with it on it’s own terms?

He found Jimmy very comforting. When he wasn’t making people laugh he was still a caring friend, willing to put everything aside to help somebody in need. More than anything, Jimmy was always willing to call people out on their crap, not hesitating to tell Craig to suck it up and apologize after a fight with Tweek or Clyde to smarten up and behave himself. Craig knew that Jimmy was responsible, clever and funny, and he really valued the guy’s friendship and company. Tweek loved him too; Jimmy was always ready with a joke to make him laugh, but never pushed him or made him uncomfortable. As best friends go, he could do a lot worse, but was Jimmy his best friend?

 

 

Tweek.

Clyde had asked him once, but Craig still couldn’t explain the attraction to the small blonde boy. Tweek was anxious, sleep-deprived, addicted to caffeine and terrified of his own shadow. By all accounts Craig should have avoided him like the plague.

Instead, he was dating the boy.

He couldn’t explain it. All he knew was that Tweek was sweetness itself, fun and laughter hidden beneath a terrified exterior; he and his friends were working hard to explore that hidden personality, and they had drawn him out a great deal. He knew that Tweek viewed him as a rock, something to cling to when life was overwhelming, and he was honored and touched by that role. He wasn’t vain by any standard, but he had to admit it felt good to know Tweek looked up to him so much.

Something about Tweek caught hold of Craig, brought out protectiveness and caring and love; when he was drunk, which admittedly was rare, he got incredibly possessive of Tweek and would not allow the boy to leave his side. He sometimes wondered if that was because he knew Tweek would do better with him, or if he was better with Tweek.

His great secret was that he needed Tweek more than Tweek needed him. Tweek brought him out, showed him that showing his emotions was all right, made him act more natural, helped break down the barriers he had set up so carefully. Tweek had made him somewhat more open, much more caring, and gave him something to care about, a real reason to fight. Without Tweek, he knew that he would survive but he would be profoundly lonely and would eventually push all his friends away.

He loved Tweek with all the passion a 17 year old boy could muster, and just looking at a picture made him want to hug the boy, smell his hair, feel him hesitantly hug back.

Was Tweek his best friend though? He was Craig’s boyfriend and love, but best friend? Was that the right word?

 

 

His eyes landed on the picture once more. It was the most precious thing he owned, aside from Stripe himself. It was the five of them standing around at Stark’s Pond: Tweek with his ever-present coffee, Craig standing behind him with his arms wrapped around Tweek’s waist and his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder; Jimmy, leaning on his crutched, telling some long-forgotten joke while Clyde laughed, his arms over Craig and Token’s shoulders; Token with a fond smile, gazing at the camera where Nichole had been standing as she took the picture. It seemed to sum up their friendships so perfectly.

Craig blinked. He actually wanted to cry. How strange.

Drying his eyes quickly, he lay on his bed contemplating his friends.

His thoughts were interrupted by somebody knocking on the window. Scrambling up, he found himself facing Clyde.

He opened the window. “Can’t you use the door like a normal person?”

“If you wanted a normal person you would have found different friends. Now put this on.”

Craig blinked as Clyde threw a shirt at him. “I’m going back down. Meet you outside!”

Craig looked at the shirt. It was an ordinary black T-shirt but it read “I’ll bring the bad attitude.”

Shaking his head, Craig pulled it on. Calling goodbye to his parents, he stepped out…

And raised his eyebrows.

Clyde’s shirt read “I’ll bring the bad decisions.”

Token’s read “I’ll bring the bail money.”

Jimmy’s read “I’ll bring the alcohol.”

Tweek’s read “I’ll bring the alibi.”

Tweek ran up and hugged him tightly. “Happy birthday!” He kissed Craig lightly; he wasn’t trembling as much as normal.

The other guys followed suit, trapping Craig in a prison of hugs. Craig predictably squirmed out of it, pretending to be annoyed.

As the guys hauled him into the car, bickering mindlessly, Tweek snuggled up to him while Clyde and Jimmy bantered and Token drove carefully.

It hit Craig like a bus. That’s why he couldn’t figure out who was his best friend.

They all were.

Token, reliable and rational. Clyde, emotional and impulsive. Jimmy, funny and optimistic. Tweek, scared but determined.

He loved them all. They were the best friends he could have ever asked for.


End file.
